On June 1st, a plaque was unveiled in memory of Ruth von Wild (1912-1983), a member of the Service Civil International, in Barcelona. Ruth von Wild was born in Barcelona, into a Swiss family, and worked as a teacher at the Swiss school. During the Spanish War, she was the coordinator of the Neutral Swiss Committee for Aid to the Children of Spain, better known as Ayuda Suiza. The von Wild family lived in a house, later demolished, in the Putxet neighborhood of Barcelona. The plaque has been placed on the building that currently stands on the site of the house. Representatives of the Barcelona City Council, those of the neighborhood association, the Consul General of Switzerland in Barcelona and representatives of SCI Catalunya and SCI International were present at the inauguration.
The event serves to highlight, not only Ruth von Wild, but also the group of Swiss volunteers from the SCI who were present in Spain during the war. Many of them continued their humanitarian aid work in France during the Second World War. It also serves to reaffirm our rejection of all forms of destruction, domination and violence.
On the photo: Francesc Ribera, president of the neighborhood association Blas Navalón, representative of the Barcelona City Council Antoni Garcia, member of the neighborhood association Othmar Hardegger, Consul General of Switzerland in Barcelona Titón Laïlla, representative of the Barcelona City Council Gianni Orsini, member of SCI Catalunya and former President of CCIVS Maria Ojuel, member of SCI Catalunya
